Pregame Notes: Rangers Vs. Tampa Bay

2013-14: Game No. 48

Pregame Notes: Rangers Vs. Tampa BayThe Rangers will face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, Jan. 14, at Madison Square Garden (7:00p.m. \u2014 TV: MSG 2; Radio: AM 970 The Answer), as they continue a four-game homestand. The Blueshirts currently rank third in the Metropolitan Division standings, and sixth in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 24-20-3 (51 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1, on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, for their third consecutive victory and sixth win the last eight contests (6-1-1). New York ranks fifth in the conference in ROW (21). The Lightning currently rank fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 27-14-4 (58 pts) entering their contest tonight at Columbus, and have won four of their last six games.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 7:00 p.m. ET

Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

Rangers: 24-20-3 (51 pts)

Lightning: 27-14-4 (58 pts)

TONIGHT'S GAME
The Rangers will face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, Jan. 14, at Madison Square Garden (7:00p.m. — TV: MSG 2; Radio: AM 970 The Answer), as they continue a four-game homestand. The Blueshirts currently rank third in the Metropolitan Division standings, and sixth in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 24-20-3 (51 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1, on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, for their third consecutive victory and sixth win the last eight contests (6-1-1). New York ranks fifth in the conference in ROW (21). The Lightning currently rank fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 27-14-4 (58 pts) entering their contest tonight at Columbus, and have won four of their last six games. Following tonight’s contest, the Rangers will conclude their four-game homestand when they face-off against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, Jan. 16, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in an Original Six matchup.

RANGERS vs. LIGHTNING

All-Time: 43-30-5-7 overall (24-13-2-4 at home; 19-17-3-3 on the road)

2013-14: Tonight is the third and final meeting this season, and the only meeting at Madison Square Garden. New York is 1-1-0 (0-0-0 at home; 1-1-0 on the road), following a 4-3 win on Dec. 29 at Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Rangers power play is 3-9 (33.3%) in two games. The Blueshirts have had four different goal-scorers in the series – Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Rick Nash, and Benoit Pouliot. Zuccarello has also tallied two assists to lead the team in scoring with three points in two games, while Derick Brassard and Ryan McDonagh have registered two assists apiece. Henrik Lundqvist is 1-1-0 with a 4.20 GAA, and Cam Talbot is 0-0-0 with a 3.00 GAA in one relief appearance.

Last Season: New York was 3-0-0 overall (2-0-0 mark at home; 1-0-0 mark on the road). The Rangers out-scored the Lightning, 12-4, in the series, including a 4-1 advantage in the first period and a 5-1 advantage in the third. The Blueshirts also out-shot the Lightning, 104-77, in three games, with a 46-17 shot advantage in the first period. Carl Hagelin led all skaters in scoring with four goals and six points in the series, while Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh each tallied a series-high three assists apiece. Henrik Lundqvist was 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .956 Sv% in two games.

The Rangers have registered a point in 17 of their last 21 games against the Lightning (13-4-4 over the span), dating back to a 2-1 win at Tampa Bay on Oct. 4, 2008, and have won five of their last seven meetings

The Blueshirts and Lightning have been separated by one goal in eight of their last 12 meetings, including five that required extra time and two that went into the shootout

Henrik Lundqvist has started 31 of the Rangers' last 33 contests against Tampa Bay, posting a record of 17-8-6 with a 2.19 GAA, .922 Sv% and two shutouts over the span

HOME COOKIN'
The Rangers enter the contest with a five-game point streak at Madison Square Garden (4-0-1), and have registered a point in seven of their last eight games at home (5-1-2). New York is currently playing a stretch of seven home games in an eight-game span.

EARLY ADVANTAGE
The Blueshirts rank third in the NHL when scoring the game's first goal, posting a record of 19-2-1 (.864 win%) in those contests. The Rangers are also 12-2-1 when leading after the first period, and 15-1-1 when leading after the second.

SHOOTING GALLERY
The Blueshirts registered a season-high, 50 shots on goal in a 7-1 victory on Jan. 4 at Toronto. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Rangers had 50 or more shots in a game was Dec. 27, 2010 vs. the NY Islanders (52 shots), and the last time they posted 50+ shots in a road game was Feb. 15, 2003 at Buffalo (52 shots). The Blueshirts have out-shot their opponent in 12 of the last 16 games, holding a 559-467 shot advantage over their opponents during the stretch. The Rangers have registered 40 or more shots seven times this season, including in four of the last 10 games, and have posted 30 or more shots in 16 of the last 20 contests. New York ranks fifth in the NHL with 32.2 shots per game.

ROAD WARRIORS
New York has won 12 of their last 16 road contests, including four of their last five, and are now 14-10-0 away from Madison Square Garden this season. The Rangers' 14 road wins is tied for first in the Eastern Conference and second in the league overall. The Blueshirts power play ranks third in the NHL on the road, tallying 19-74 (25.7%) with the man advantage on the road.

GOALS GALORE

The Rangers have tallied 20 goals in the last five games, including a 7-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 4 at Air Canada Centre. The seven goals marked a season-high for New York, and are the most the Rangers have tallied in a game since an 8-4 win on Apr. 19, 2013 at Buffalo. Additionally, the six-goal margin of victory is the largest for the Rangers since a 7-0 win on Mar. 6, 2011 vs. Philadelphia. The last time the Blueshirts tallied seven or more goals in Toronto was an 8-2 victory on Mar. 14, 1990.

THE HOT LIST

Henrik Lundqvist – three-game winning streak (1.67 GAA, .950 Sv%), and 5-1-1 with a 2.37 GAA and .926 Sv% in his last seven games

Chris Kreider – nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last 12 games, including a point in four of the last five (two goals, three assists over the span)

Derick Brassard – has recorded a goal in each of the last two games (two goals), and points in nine of the last 13 (three goals, eight assists over the span)

Ryan McDonagh – six points (one goal, five assists) in the last nine games

Benoit Pouliot – has tallied a point in 13 of his last 18 games, registering 13 points (six goals, seven assists) over the span

COUNTDOWN TO 6K
The Rangers have played in 5,988 regular season games throughout the franchise's 88 seasons, just 12 games shy of 6,000 all-time. The Blueshirts are scheduled to play their 6,000th game all-time on February 6 against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden.